Long a staple in the veteran drinker’s arsenal, the folks behind the electrolyte solution Pedialyte are finally coming to grasps with the fact that a large share of their customer-base is made up of adults battling a hangover rather than the infants the drink’s intended for. With this realization in mind, the company is rolling out a number of new options for their adult market this year.
The flagship of this new, adult-centric marketing campaign is the “Sparkling Rush” line – single-serve packets that add carbonation and flavor to a glass of water while promising to deliver an “optimal balance of electrolytes and sugar” in each serving. This balance of electrolytes and water, it seems, it what helps the formula get folks back on their feet even after some of the fiercest of binges.
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“Pedialyte is so effective because the levels of electrolytes and carbohydrate are optimal for rehydration, and now our Pedialyte Sparkling Rush powder offers a new, on-the-go option for those who love some bubble in their beverages,” said Jennifer Williams, a research scientist at at Pedialyte’s manufacturer, Abbott Laboratories, who specializes in hydration. “There’s a reason so many turn to Pedialyte when they need help hydrating – it works.”
“You get the electrolytes you need with that great tasting fizz. It’s a really exciting product,” added Chris Calamari, the vice president of pediatric nutrition at Abbott. “Hydration is such a broad-based need, and our product design and marketing was designed around meeting adults where they need us.”
Does it really work?
But, do those electrolytes really help crush a hangover? In order to get to the bottom of that mystery, reporters from Marketwatch got in touch with Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency room physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
“Pedialyte contains added sodium, potassium and sugar, which can help replete your body of lost electrolytes. When you get dehydrated, your body needs water, but it also needs sugar to help reabsorb water,” Glatter explained. “These products will make you feel better, but they’re not going to completely take away your hangover; it’s a gradual process as you begin to rehydrate. People are latching on to it as a quick fix. … It’s not a ‘cure,’ though.”
“The key is hydration while you drink, alternating alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic beverages — preferably water — and eating throughout the night,” Dr. Glatter added. “This slows the absorption of alcohol.”
Going along with Dr. Glatter’s message, Pedialyte itself stops short of referring to its product as a “hangover cure,” but it does boast its abilities to rehydrate – and as all good drinkers know dehydration is one of the primary symptoms of a hangover. So, while it might not be able to completely remove all of the after-effects of a long night out, it certainly can help with some of them.
Are you planning on adding Sparkling Rush to your hangover lineup? Let us know in the comments below, and tell us some cures you use to help get back on your feet after hitting the town!
